The United Kingdom - it really is the best...

[Petrus1983]

In these weird times it’s hard to ignore just how good living in the UK is. At times of great need our NHS stood up to show how amazing they are, a volunteer scheme was started which was oversubscribed in 12 hours, our ‘riots’ are in large peaceful, our political system is stable, we are mainly following guidelines without kicking off. I like being here.

Edited by Petrus1983 on Wednesday 15th July 21:20

[Equus]

Petrus1983 said:

In these weird times it’s hard to ignore just how good living in the UK is. At times of great need our NHS stood up to show how amazing they are...

So amazing, in fact, that out of the whole world our Covid mortality rate is surpassed only by Belgium and the Yemen.

But still we keep kidding ourselves...

[Petrus1983]

Equus said:

So amazing, in fact, that our Covid mortality rate is surpassed only by Belgium and the Yemen.

But still we keep kidding ourselves...

That’s a very positive reply. Anyone else??

Btw - Belgium and Yemen - random.

[Cold]

All those people who haven't died in other countries now have to face the misery of living in other countries.

[citizensm1th]

we have some really good institutions even after years of government mismanagement and we have some really decent people, but we over estimate our place in the world and are to backward looking.

i fear that the immediate future is going to be a huge shock for our nation and we will need to re evaluate our place in the world if we are to emerge any where close to where we aspire to be.

we are not the UK of old we are a small rock on the edge of a continent and we no longer have the means to be a super power ,the rest of the world has caught us up and a good few have surpassed us in both wealth and ambition.

the way the next 100 years will go will be decided on the other side of the world we will only be a bit part player in how it will turn out.

other than that the uk is a pretty nice place all in all

[Equus]

Cold said:

All those people who haven't died in other countries now have to face the misery of living in other countries.

Perhaps we could offer them asylum, same as we have to the citizens of Hong Kong?

as Flanders and Swann's A Song of Patriotic Prejudice said:

It's not that they're wicked, or naturally bad.
It's knowing they're foreign that makes them so mad!

Here you go Petrus; you can sing along.

[coolg]

Equus said:

So amazing, in fact, that out of the whole world our Covid mortality rate is surpassed only by Belgium and the Yemen.

But still we keep kidding ourselves...

And yet People are still risking their lives to cross the channel

[DeltonaS]

Equus said:

Petrus1983 said:

In these weird times it’s hard to ignore just how good living in the UK is. At times of great need our NHS stood up to show how amazing they are...

So amazing, in fact, that out of the whole world our Covid mortality rate is surpassed only by Belgium and the Yemen.

But still we keep kidding ourselves...

British exceptionalism, don't you love it......

Just type in "British exceptionalism' in Google and you'll be overwhelmed with all sort of opninions and articles about the subject. It's seems to be so embedded in the minds of the islander across the small stretch of water called North Sea.

O, and by the way, we all made the same stupid mistakes here in Europe regarding Covid (underestimation, arrogance, not prepared etc.), with the difference obviously that the UK had the most time to respond, being last to receive it. Subsequently it did the worst in Europe, probably because someone with the name of Boris wanted to take it full on the chin. And that he did.

So yes, in terms of Covid response, The United Kingdom really is the best, at being the worst that is.

[Europa1]

Equus said:

So amazing, in fact, that out of the whole world our Covid mortality rate is surpassed only by Belgium and the Yemen.

But still we keep kidding ourselves...

But still we keep recording Covid-19 as a factor in death and deaths in care homes.

[Borghetto]

Equus said:

So amazing, in fact, that out of the whole world our Covid mortality rate is surpassed only by Belgium and the Yemen.

But still we keep kidding ourselves...

I guess you are packing your bags and getting ready to move to one of those many better countries just dying to welcome another ex pat misery, to spend his life complaining about his hosts. Of course maybe no other country wants you.

[T6 vanman]

Every day I wake up and look at the results of all the bad, knuckleheaded, bewilderingly misguided and just downright st decisions I've made during my life ….. and then once the kettle's on and first cup of tea consumed still think overall being born in Great Britain handed me the golden ticket in life

[DeltonaS]

coolg said:

Equus said:

So amazing, in fact, that out of the whole world our Covid mortality rate is surpassed only by Belgium and the Yemen.

But still we keep kidding ourselves...

And yet People are still risking their lives to cross the channel

That's because the French are threatening them to be send to Belgium.

To be fair; the Belgiums have such a bad mortality rate because they include more people, especially the elderly, who died of Covid but are not registered as such in other country's.

[Gadgetmac]

coolg said:

Equus said:

So amazing, in fact, that out of the whole world our Covid mortality rate is surpassed only by Belgium and the Yemen.

But still we keep kidding ourselves...

And yet People are still risking their lives to cross the channel

Only the ones with relatives here or who can speak english. Far more have poured into Germany and France etc.

[NRS]

DeltonaS said:

O, and by the way, we all made the same stupid mistakes here in Europe regarding Covid (underestimation, arrogance, not prepared etc.), with the difference obviously that the UK had the most time to respond, being last to receive it. Subsequently it did the worst in Europe, probably because someone with the name of Boris wanted to take it full on the chin. And that he did.

So yes, in terms of Covid response, The United Kingdom really is the best, at being the worst that is.

Perhaps...

The whole "stop it" strategy depends on a vaccine in future, otherwise people will just catch it later (it's too late to stop now, we just make time for a possible vaccine to save lives/ not overwhelm the health services.

Given the latest research seeming to suggest we don't keep resistance to it and it will become something like the flu then the countries that are going for the eradication will have to open up and be infected anyway, as there will likely be no vaccine. There is still a long way in this playing out before we see which was the right strategy. If we get a vaccine then UK strategy was bad. If we don't then the countries that stopped it rapidly will have to go through the same as the UK, but having locked their economies down for perhaps 0.5-2 years, in addition to the lockdowns during re-opening that will have to happen.

[coolg]

Gadgetmac said:

coolg said:

Equus said:

So amazing, in fact, that out of the whole world our Covid mortality rate is surpassed only by Belgium and the Yemen.

But still we keep kidding ourselves...

And yet People are still risking their lives to cross the channel

Only the ones with relatives here or who can speak english. Far more have poured into Germany and France etc.

You know that they can all speak English and have relatives here ?

[i4got]

Well this place has really let me down tonight. When I saw the original post I had an internal bet with myself that someone would be quoting British Exceptionalism within 5 posts. It took 7 posts. Poor showing.

[mikeiow]

T6 vanman said:

Every day I wake up and look at the results of all the bad, knuckleheaded, bewilderingly misguided and just downright st decisions I've made during my life ….. and then once the kettle's on and first cup of tea consumed still think overall being born in Great Britain handed me the golden ticket in life

Ha!
Kind of agree, tbh.
I’ve had a couple of pals who emigrated because of how awful their perception was of the UK, yet their new lives (which FB gives me a glimpse into) appears to offer far, far less. IMHO, of course: I hope they would disagree

We are far from perfect. Very far in many ways.

Yet we do have a reasonable society “on the whole”.

COVID results are tbc: frankly, I simply don’t believe all the numbers I read on world.coronavirus thingy....
I am sure we are up there with the “could do a hell of a lot better”, & I do feel our government have let us down on timings...but we are a concentrated population, and this is a once in a lifetime event (who here was there for Spanish flu?!).
We are far from out of the woods, but on the whole (& on balance), I do think the UK is a pretty bloody good place to be in this planet. IMHO

[romeodelta]

citizensm1th said:

we have some really good institutions even after years of government mismanagement and we have some really decent people, but we over estimate our place in the world and are to backward looking.

i fear that the immediate future is going to be a huge shock for our nation and we will need to re evaluate our place in the world if we are to emerge any where close to where we aspire to be.

we are not the UK of old we are a small rock on the edge of a continent and we no longer have the means to be a super power ,the rest of the world has caught us up and a good few have surpassed us in both wealth and ambition.

the way the next 100 years will go will be decided on the other side of the world we will only be a bit part player in how it will turn out.

other than that the uk is a pretty nice place all in all

[Pommy]

I thought living in the UK was the best thing in the world and then I moved to Australia.

Quality of living and sense of well being is massively increased. The UK is a very lovely place to live but not as good as you think it is. It just takes being somewhere else to see it.

[Brave Fart]

I still believe the UK is the best country in the world, but I'm biased so my opinion may not mean much.
However, I think less of this country than I did pre-Covid. Our useless politicians (national and local), some folks' hysterical response to the virus, and especially our willingness, nay desire, to be told what to do by the morons in government have disappointed me.
On the flip side, the acts of kindness I've seen, our healthcare workers (I include care home workers and mobile carers) and the genuine concern for others has mitigated the negatives somewhat.